GTA: San Andreas HD on Xbox 360 is actually a port of the mobile version

Rockstar has recently released an HD version of GTA: San Andreas on Xbox 360. While that version looks good, it’s not as good as one would hope, and that’s because it’s port of the Android and iOS version.

The revelation is based on Digital Foundry’s analysis of the new port. The guys at DF have found out that the Android version they recently tested as part of their Nvidia Shield Tablet feature, is in fact the basis for the new Xbox 360 release.

“Viewed side by side, Xbox 360 and Shield Tablet games appear to be a close match – the higher-resolution 2D artwork and the new front end are much the same, though the new console release appears to possess enhanced draw distance over the Android version (even when it’s set to 100 per cent on the mobile version).

“Unfortunately, aside from the inclusion of Achievements, there’s very little love given to this new edition. Just like the Android release, there’s absolutely no anti-aliasing available, whereas even the original PC version supports this, while the vast majority of Xbox Originals on the 360 emulator supported 2x or 4x MSAA depending on the title,” they said.

Frame-rate is also capped at 30FPS and it’s not locked at 30 either. Meaning there is occasional hitching, stuttering and dips below 30.

“Scaled up to 720p and beyond, even with the enhanced assets, it’s clear that the level of detail in the assets doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. The game wasn’t really designed to scale in this way and it shows.

“At just £2.99, the Xbox 360 port is keenly priced for what it offers, but we can’t help but wonder whether keeping the Xbox Originals version – at least alongside any HD remaster – may have been the preferable option.”

Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.